Ash removal system

ABSTRACT

An incinerator constructed with a floor portion which is separate from the incinerator walls whereby said floor may be lowered or raised independently into a closed casing to compensate for the accumulation ash on said floor to thus provide for a sealed combustion chamber having a constant volume.

United States Patent Theoclitus 1541 ASH REMOVAL SYSTEM [72] inventor:Gregory Theoclitus, Wellsville, NY.

[73] Assignee: The Air Preheater Company, Inc.,

Wellsville, NY.

[22] Filed: June 14,1971

[21] App]. No.: 152,769

52 us. 01. ..110/8 R, 110/89 51 1111.01. ..F23g s/00 58 Field of Search..110/8 R, 18 R, 89; 126/154 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS342,083 5/1886 Fales ..1 10/89 1451 Sept. 26, 1972 3,499,400 3/1970Altmann ..110/8 3,499,401 3/1970 Wessberg ..110/89 PrimaryExaminer-Kenneth W. Sprague Attorney-Wayne H. Lang et al.

[57] ABSTRACT An incinerator constructed with a floor portion which isseparate from the incinerator walls whereby said floor may be lowered orraised independently into a closed casing to compensate for theaccumulation ash on said floor to thus provide for a sealed combustionchamber having a constant volume.

8 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures ASH REMOVAL SYSTEM BACKGROUND OF THEINVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates to anincinerator having a combustion chamber designed to maintain a constantvolume while it is continuously being subjected to an ash build-up fromburning wastes which would otherwise progressively reduce the volume ofthe chamber.

By use of the arrangement disclosed herein the volume of the combustionchamber remains substantially constant and the admission of excess airis regulated to closely control the combustion of wastes and precludethe giving-off of smoke, odor and fly ash.

2. Description of Prior Art Although incineration has long been anaccepted method of waste disposal, burning under conditions wherein thevolume of the combustion chamber is held constant to control thecombustion process was only recently developed along the lines of US.Pat. No. 3,568,609, dated Mar. 9, 1971 and issued to Richard F.Stockman. In this device ash resulting from the combustion of wastematerial was substituted for sand which was placed in the furnace beforestarting the incinerator process. However, inasmuch as there was aslight, but nearly continual leakage of air into the combustion chamberso that an absolutely sealed combustion chamber was impossible tomaintain, combustion conditions were varied. Moreover, the sand itselfcreated problems of handling, corrosion, and erosion that necessitatedfrequent adjustment or repair.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention provides for an incineratorhaving a combustion chamber of constant volume that is at all timesduring use positively sealed from the ambient atmosphere whereby theflow of air for combustion is closely controlled to preclude the supplyof excess air. It is therefore the principle objective of this inventionto provide a sealed incinerator with a floating" chamber floor whoseposition is determined by the amount of ash thereon. Vertical movementof the chamber floor thus compensates for the amount of residual ashbeing deposited thereon so that the volume of the combustion chamberlying above the ash does not significantly change.

A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is an enlarged perspectiveview of an incinerator having an ash removal arrangement according tothis invention, and

FIGS. 2 and 3 are diagrammatic views of the device during its sequenceof operation.

In an incinerator, of the starved-air type trash or other refuse to beburned, is placed in an incinerator housing 12 that encloses a primarychamber 14. An opening 16 provides means for supplying refuse into theincinerator chamber, while an exhaust opening 18 is provided to exhaustthe gases of combustion therefrom to subject them to one or moreadditional stages of combustion in accordance with standard apparatusoperating according to starved air" principles.

Air forcombustion is supplied through inlet pipes 22 from a manifoldconnected to any conventional source of supply such as pump 24.

An access-door 26 to the incinerator housing 12 is hinged thereto topermit unencumbered entrance therein for'maintenance or repair, and theinterior of the housing is covered by a refractory lining 28 thatprotects it effectively from the high combustion temperatures of theburning refuse.

The access door 26 is provided with a sight hole 32 covered by a pivotedclosure to provide an operator with visual access to the interior of thechamber 14 to observe the depth of ash on the chamber floor or otherconditions that exist within the incinerator.

Although present incinerator arrangements may provide for a continuoussupply of refuse to be loaded into an incinerator, little has been doneto provide an arrangement whereby ash resulting from the combustion ofsaid refuse may be removed continuously without opening the combustionchamber to the atmosphere. Moreover, in most cases it is necessary todiscontinue all combustion and allow the incinerator to cool before theincinerator is opened. Should the ash removal door be opened more thanmomentarily during operation of the incinerator, an excess of air willflow into the incinerator to provide for free burning of the refusetherein not in accordance with the normal burning under starved air"conditions.

In accordance with may invention I provide a rectangular open-ended ashholding chamber 36 extending longitudinally along the bottom of theincinerator l2 and having an ash removal door 38 at one end thereof topermit closure of the chamber 36 except when an excess accumulation ofash in the chamber requires its removal therefrom.

At the bottom of the incinerator chamber 14 and intermediate the airsupply pipes 22 is a floating or vertically movable chamber floor 42which is somewhat smaller than the horizontal dimensions of the ashholding chamber 36 so that it fits within and may be freely raised orlowered into said chamber. By thus raising or lowering the floor 42 inaccordance with the amount of ash thereon, the top of the ash layer onthe bottom of the incinerator chamber 14 may be maintained at a constantlevel so the volume of the chamber 14 lying above the top of the ashdeposits will remain virtually unchanged during a prolonged period ofwaste incineration.

In a conventional incineration of the starved air type, combustion ofrefuse in the chamber 14 progressively builds up a layer of ash on thebottom of said chamber so the volume of the chamber will decreaseaccordingly. Air for combustion being supplied by pipes 22 will alsochannel through the ash to provide a selective burning of the refuse. Inthis invention, however, a build-up of ash within the chamber 14 callsfor a lowering of the chamber floor 42 so the point of combustion isadjacent the air supply pipes and the volume of the incinerator chamber14 remains virtually constant.

The chamber floor 42 is moved vertically by any suitable means such asshown by a pair of jack screws 46 threaded through the floor 48 of theash holding chamber and rotated by a motor and V-belt arrangement 52 asactuated by an operator viewing conditions within the incineratorthrough sight hole 32. Although the mechanical jack screws 46 are theonly embodiment illustrated in the drawing, any equivalent manuallyoperated or automatic elevator which is responsive to the weight ordepth of ash on the floor 42 is intended to-lie within the purview ofthe present invention., After the chamber floor 42 has been lowered toan extremeposition for the collection of ash may be removed through theremoval door 38 and the floor 42 accordingly raised back to its originalposition.

Legs ormounting means 54 support the incinerator at an elevated positionabove ground level whereby the jack screws 46 may berotated within floor48 to lower the floor 42 tothe bottom of enclosing chamber 36 as the ashdeposits continue to accumulate. An alternate arrangement would recessthe entire incinerator into a partially buried position with suitablepits for the recessed jack screws 46. Thus, as ash is deposited on thechamber floor, the floor may be lowered as required to maintain aconstant level at the point of combustion.

Since other equivalent means for lowering the floor 42 may be usedinstead of the mechanical method shown, it will be understood that thisdisclosure is illustrative only of apreferred means embodying theinvention and the invention is to be determined only by the scope of theappended claims.

I claim:

1. In an incinerator-for the disposal of waste material by oxidation aclosed casing defining a substantially airtight combustion chamber,means for feeding waste into said combustion chamber, means forsubjecting said waste to a process of combustion, a holding means forresidue from the combustion of said waste comprising an ash holdingchamber at the bottom of the combustion chamber lying contiguoustherewith, and a floor for said holding chamber vertically movable topermit lowering thereof as ash build-up on said floor develops wherebythe floor may be lowered an amount commensurate with the ash depositsthereon to provide the combustion chamber with a constant volume.

2. An incinerator for the disposal of waste by combustion having aclosed casing defining a substantially airtight combustion chamber,means for feeding waste material into said combustion chamber, anexhaust port for the exhaust of the products of combustion therefrom, aholding means for residue from the combustion of said waster comprisingan ash holding chamber at the bottom of the combustion chamber lyingcontiguous therewith, a floor for said ash holding chamber verticallymovable with respect to the incinerator casing adapted to simultaneouslycomprise a floor for the incinerator .chamber and the ash holdingchamber, and means for lowering said floor into the ash holding chamberwhereby the surface thereof may be maintained constant to provide thecombustion chamber with a constant volume. I

3. An incinerator for the disposal of waste by combustion as defined inclaim 2 including means for the supply of oxygen to the combustionchamber independent from the movable floor for the ash holding chamberto permit lowering said floor with respect to the oxygen supply meansfor the combustion chamber.

4. An incinerator for the disposal of waste by combustion as defined inclaim 3 wherein the means for the supply of oxygen to the combustionchamber comprises an apertured tube extending longitudinally along theedge of the movable floor.

. An incinerator for the disposal of waste by combustion as defined inclaim 4 wherein the means for the supply of oxygen to the combustionchamber comprises an apertured tube lying on each side of theincinerator chamber.

6. An incinerator for the disposal of waste by combustion as defined inclaim 5 wherein oxygen supply tubes on opposite sides of the incineratorchamber are laterally adjacent and independent from the movablefloor-forthe ash holding chamber.

7. An incineratorfor the disposal of waste by combustion as defined inclaim 6 wherein the ash holding chamber subjacent the combustion chamberhas vertical walls that provide for constant clearance around themovable floor as said floor is lowered into the ash holding chamber.

8. An incinerator for the disposal of waste matter by combustion asdefined in claim 2 wherein the means for lowering the floor into the ashholding chamber lies intermediate oxygen supply pipes at opposite sidesof the incinerator casing.

1. In an incinerator for the disposal of waste material by oxidation aclosed casing defining a substantially airtight combustion chamber,means for feeding waste into said combustion chamber, means forsubjecting said waste to a process of combustion, a holding means forresidue from the combustion of said waste comprising an ash holdingchamber at the bottom of the combustion chamber lying contiguoustherewith, and a floor for said holding chamber vertically movable topermit lowering thereof as ash build-up on said floor develops wherebythe floor may be lowered an amount commensurate with the ash depositsthereon to provide the combustion chamber with a constant volume.
 2. Anincinerator for the disposal of waste by combustion having a closedcasing defining a substantially airtight combustion chamber, means forfeeding waste material into said combustion chamber, an exhaust port forthe exhaust of the products of combustion therefrom, a holding means forresidue from the combustion of said waster comprising an ash holdingchamber at the bottom of the combustion chamber lying contiguoustherewith, a floor for said ash holding chamber vertically movable withrespect to the incinerator casing adapted to simultaneously comprise afloor for the incinerator chamber and the ash holding chamber, and meansfor lowering said floor into the ash holding chamber whereby the surfacethereof may be maintained constant to provide the combustion chamberwith a constant volume.
 3. An incinerator for the disposal of waste bycombustion as defined in claim 2 including means for the supply ofoxygen to the combustion chamber independent from the movable floor forthe ash holding chamber to permit lowering said floor with respect tothe oxygen supply means for the combustion chamber.
 4. An incineratorfor the disposal of waste by combustion as defined in claim 3 whereinthe means for the supply of oxygen to the combustion chamber comprisesan apertured tube extending longitudinally along the edge of the movablefloor.
 5. An incinerator for the disposal of waste by combustion asdefined in claim 4 wherein the means for the supply of oxygen to thecombustion chamber comprises an apertured tube lying on each side of theincinerator chamber.
 6. An incinerator for the disposal of waste bycombustion as defined in claim 5 wherein oxygen supply tubes on oppositesides of the incinerator chamber are laterally adjacent and independentfrom the movable floor for the ash holding chamber.
 7. An incineratorfor the disposal of waste by combustion as defined in claim 6 whereinthe ash holding chamber subjacent the combustion chamber has verticalwalls that provide for constant clearance around the movable floor assaid floor is lowered into the ash holding chamber.
 8. An incineratorfor the disposal of waste matter by combustion as defined in claim 2wherein the means for lowering the floor into the ash holding chamberlies intermediate oxygen supply pipes at opposite sides of theincinerator casing.